Last year at Long Island's Babylon Memorial Grade School, Tim Eisemann babysat a bunch of eggs. Every day, the sixth-grader carefully turned the eggs to keep them warm. When they finally cracked open, he marveled as four tiny ducklings wobbled out and made their way into the world.

Bird hatching is a typical project in a lot of classrooms around the country. It's a learning experience that Tim will never forget—and hopes never to repeat.

Feathered Friends
When the project ended, Tim asked his teacher what would become of their classroom ducklings. He and his friends were shocked to learn that the birds would not live out their lives on a farm. Instead, they would be killed and turned into animal feed and fertilizer.

Determined not to let that happen, Tim sent thousands of e-mails pleading for help. He got 100 phone calls—and an offer he couldn't refuse. An animal shelter agreed to give the birds a good home. Tim showed up at Angel's Gate not with four ducklings, but 22! "He called every class at school that had hatched chicks," says shelter director Susan Marino. "He wanted to save them all."

Lessons Learned
So, what happened to Babylon's hatchling program since Tim took a stand? "As far as I know, it's busted," he says. Three other New York school districts have ditched similar programs, which makes Tim happy. "These activities are supposed to teach kids to care responsibly for animals," he says. "But then the animals are just thrown away. It's not a good lesson, just a terrible waste of life."

If your class plans to hatch chicks, Tim suggests you and your teacher do some homework first. Find out where the animals come from and what will become of them afterward. Many class pets and hatchlings end up at animal shelters, because no one wants to care for them in the long run. That isn't fair to the animals or to shelters, most of which already handle large numbers of homeless cats and dogs.